Say Hello to Bar Crenn, Dominique Crenn’s Luxe Tribute to the French Classics

Bar Crenn — chef Dominque Crenn’s much-anticipated homage to classic French cooking — opens in San Francisco today. Although the latest restaurant from the Chef’s Table star was billed as a wine bar at first, when it opens tonight, it will serve pommes souffles, tarte flambee, and omelette a l’oursin, as well dishes inspired by and borrowed from giants of French cuisine like Alain Ducasse and Guy Savoy. “I want to really keep the integrity of what French gastronomy is about,” Crenn told Eater SF. “All these chefs are the pillar... and I’m just a student.”

Crenn is a distinguished French chef in her own right. She’s a pillar of San Fransisco’s dining scene and the first woman in the U.S. to have a restaurant with two Michelin stars. Tasting menu restaurant Atelier Crenn gained its second star in the tire company’s 2013 San Francisco dining guide. In 2015, Crenn opened Petit Crenn in San Francisco, a more casual seafood- and vegetables-focused restaurant.

Patricia Chang/EaterSF

Bar Crenn is in part an extension of Crenn’s fine-dining flagship. It will share a courtyard with Atelier Crenn, allowing guests to start or end their meals at the wine bar. And, a select few Bar Crenn guests will be able to order the Atelier Crenn menu every night. Items on Bar Crenn’s regular menu are available a la carte or as a three-course “carte blanche” tasting for $85. Parties of two can also order a caviar tasting for $165 per person. Wine is, of course, a significant part of Bar Crenn, and as Eater SF reports, French and old world wines star, alongside low-ABV cocktails and aperitifs.

“This is more than a wine bar,” Crenn told Eater SF. “It’s my living room, where people can experience the best of the best.” The space, designed by Karen Brady, does indeed resemble a living room, with exposed brick walls, bookcases, and couches and settees in velvets and fur. Bar Crenn is also the chef’s interpretation of a 1930s Parisienne salon, and there’s an opulence to the decor, which includes crystal chandeliers, silver dishes filled with caviar, and gold-rimmed plates, according to Eater SF.

Tonight, Bar Crenn will open its doors to all those who snatched up reservations as well as a few walk-in guests. And Crenn is already working on a follow-up — Boutique Crenn, a restaurant, patisserie, and boutique will open in San Francisco’s Salesforce Tower late 2018 or early 2019.

But now, take a look around the brand new Bar Crenn below:

Patricia Chang/EaterSF

Patricia Chang/EaterSF

• Inside Bar Crenn, Dominique Crenn’s Elegant Tribute to French Cuisine [ESF]